TC Electronic The Dreamscope User manual

USER’S MANUAL
The Dreamscape

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Important Safety Instructions
1 Read these instructions.
2 Keep these instructions.
3 Heed all warnings.
4 Follow all instructions.
5 Do not use this apparatus near water.
6 Clean only with dry cloth.
7 Do not block any ventilation openings. Install in accor-
dance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
8 Do not install near heat sources such as radiators, heat
registers, stoves, or other apparatus (including ampli-
fiers) that produce heat.
9 Only use attachments/accessories specified by the
manufacturer.
10 Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
Servicing is required when the apparatus has been
damaged in any way, e.g. when the power-supply cord
or the plug has been damaged, liquid has been spilled
or objects have fallen into the apparatus, the apparatus
has been exposed to rain or moisture, does not oper-
ate normally, or has been dropped.
Warning!
• Toreducetheriskoffireorelectricalshock,donot
expose this equipment to dripping or splashing and
ensure that no objects filled with liquids, such as vases,
are placed on the equipment.
• Donotinstallinaconfinedspace.
Service
• Allservicemustbeperformedbyqualifiedpersonnel.
Caution:
You are cautioned that any change or modifications
not expressly approved in this manual could void your
authority to operate this equipment.
When replacing the battery follow the instructions on
battery handling in this manual carefully.
EMC/EMI
Thisequipmenthasbeentestedandfoundtocomplywith
the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15
of the FCC rules.

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Theselimitsaredesignedtoprovidereasonableprotection
against harmful interference in residential installations.
Thisequipmentgenerates,usesandcanradiateradio
frequency energy and – if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions – may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. However, there is
no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception – which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and on –, the
user is encouraged to try correcting the interference by
one or more of the following measures:
• Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
• Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentand
the receiver.
• Connecttheequipmenttoanoutletonacircuit
different from the one to which the receiver is
connected.
• Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TV
technician for help.
For the customers in Canada:
ThisClassBdigitalapparatuscomplieswithCanadian
ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est
conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

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www.tcelectronic.com – www.youtube.com/tcelectronic
Introduction
CongratulationsonthepurchaseofJohnPetrucci’ssignaturepedal“TheDreamscape”!
JohnPetrucciwasoneofthefirstartiststojoinourrevolutionaryTonePrintconcept.Intotal,John
created5personalTonePrintsinearly2011–twoforCoronaChorus,twoforShakerVibratoandone
forVortexFlanger.Johnlovedhavingaccesstoalleffectparameterssomuchthatheinstantlyagreed
whenTCsuggestedcollaboratingonthedevelopmentofasignaturepedal–onethatwasbasedonhis
ownTonePrints.AndsoThe Dreamscape was born.
Basically,JohnwantedtogatherallofhisTonePrintsinasinglepedaleventhoughhisoriginal
TonePrintsareforthreedifferentpedalsintheseries.Therefore,hisnewsignaturepedalcontainsno
less than three mind-blowing modulation effects that have been painstakingly tailored with an eye for
eventhetiniestdetailbythemasterhimself.Totakethispedaloverthetop,Johnevencreatedabrand
newTonePrintforVortexFlanger,takingthetotalamountofcustom-tweakedtonesuptosix:
2xChorus,2xFlangerand2xVibrato.
Ontopofthat,TheDreamscapealsofeaturesaTonePrintmodethatmakesitcompatiblewithany
TonePrintfortheCoronachoruspedal.

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1 - Effect on/off (true bypass)
2 - ¼ inch mono jack input
3 - ¼ inch mono jack input (for stereo in)
4 - ¼ inch mono jack output
5 - ¼ inch mono jack output (for stereo out)
6 - FX level control
7 - Speed control
8 - Voice Selector – Bright / Normal / Dark
9 - Depth control
10 - Effect type selector
11 - Power in (9 VDC)
12 - USB connection for uploading TonePrint
settings and software updates.

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Connecting
Input jacks – Use MONO for mono input and both MONO
andSTEREOinputsifconnectingastereosource.Ifthe
pedal runs on battery, we recommend removing the mono
input jack to preserve battery power when you don’t play.
Output jacks – Connect to another pedal or directly into
an amp or mixer. Use MONO for mono setups and both
MONOandSTEREOforstereosetups.
Note that it is possible to select between true bypass and
buffered bypass mode via a dip switch located under the
battery cover.
Power in–Usea9VDCpowersupplywiththefollowing
symbol:
USB
Connect to a computer using the supplied USB cable for
upload of TonePrint settings.
Theconnector-typeisMini-B.
9VDC in
USB to comp
To Amp
or pedal Signal in (mono)
Signal in (stereo)
To Amp
or pedal
(stereo)

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The controls
FX LEVEL
Controls the effects level. Please note that the direct signal is always passed at the original level (unity
gain).
SPEED
TheSPEEDknobsetsthespeedofthechorus/flanger/vibrato–fromslow,smoothandsparklytomuch
morepronounced“Leslie”typesathighspeeds,dependingontheselectedeffecttype.
DEPTH
DEPTHsetstherangeofthemodulation.ExperimentwithboththeSPEEDandDEPTHcontrolsto
achieve the effect you are looking for.
BRIGHT / NORMAL / DARK selector
Thisselectorgivesyouthreeoptionsforeachsound.TheBrightoptionmakestheselectedeffectvery
obvious whereas the Dark option makes the effect more subtle. Normal equals neutral.

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EFFECT TYPE selector
SelectbetweensixJohnPetruccimodulationTonePrintsandTonePrintmode.AnyCoronaChorus
TonePrintcanbeloadedintotheDreamscapepedalandisselectedwhenthisselectorissetto
TonePrint.
Chorus
“for clean sounds”
John’s clean chorus sound is legendary. Having used the SCF pedal for all chorusing duties ever since
DreamTheater’sdebutalbum,JohnhasveryspecificdemandsforhiscleanChorusTonePrint:Itmust
havethatclassicTCElectronicshimmer,andalthoughtheChorusshouldbeverypredominant,itshouldn’t
getinthewayoftheoriginalguitartone.JohnchosetheTri-ChorusmodeforthisTonePrintasthe
threechoruslines“masks”theveryobviousmodulationsoundofatraditionalchorus.SetDepthand
Speedtothe12o’clockpositionandcrankFXLevelandTonetogetJohn’sfavoritecleanchorustone.
Flanger
“for clean sounds”
ForthecleanVortexflangesound,Johnoptedforatypeofphasecancellationthatdoesn’tcompletely
cancel out, but sums the clean and effected signal into a warmer, swirly sound. John wanted this flange
soundtobeclosetoa“chorussy”type-sound.Recommendedsettings:Setallknobstothe12o’clock
positionforthestandardTonePrint–andthenadjustaccordingtotaste.

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Vibrato
“for clean sounds”
Johnaskedforaclear,swirlyLeslie-typesoundwithjustalittlefeedback.Theresultisaverywide
Vibratowithalowspeedrateatdefaultknobpositions.Duringthesession,Johnwassoinspiredbythe
sound that he wrote a new riff right on the spot. Recommended settings: Set all knobs to the 12 o’clock
positionforthestandardTonePrint–andthenadjustaccordingtotaste.
Chorus 2
“for crunch sounds”
JohnisfamousforusingchorusonsomeofDreamTheater’scrushingcrunchyriffs.Originallyinspired
bythegreatAlexLifesonfromRush,John’sgoalwastofattenupthesoundwithoutitgettingtoo
processed.Toachievethatgoal,Johnusedthetri-choruswithsomefairlysubtlesettingstogetthat
almost-doubled sound.
Flanger 2
“for crunch sounds”
ThisisJohn’stwistonaclassicaggressiveslowflanger.Twisttheknobstocreatenumerouscool
sounds, but try setting the knobs to the 12 o’clock position for that classic flange that works especially
well on crunchy to heavy riffs. Kick this in on you signature rock riffs – and heads will turn.

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Vibrato 2
“for crunch sounds”
JohnenvisionedaVibratothatwasnottoowarblyandendedupwithasubtle,almostdoublingtypeof
effect with a rich and fat tone, without the sound getting too dark or the effect getting too pronounced.
John is happy with the result and stated during the session that this vibrato toneprint is “even cool on
chords”.

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TonePrint – the concept
Consider the knobs and switches on your pedal as a few handles that actually control a large number
ofparameters.TCElectronicstaffhasdefinedthecontrols–butwouldn’titjustbecooltoletthe
world’s leading guitar players contribute with their own definition of how the controls should work?
YES–thisiswhatTonePrintisabout.Weallowtopguitarplayerstodigoutapedal’shiddentonal
potential,redefinethecontrolsandmaketheirownTonePrints.TheseTonePrintsareavailabletoyou,
anduploadingTonePrintstoyourpedaliseasy.
TheDreamscapeisJohnPetrucci’ssignaturepedalandprovidessixofhisfavoritemodulation
Toneprints–butyoucanalsodownloadanyCoronaChorusTonePrintmadebyanyartist.Torecall
thisdownloadedTonePrint,settheEffectTypeselectortoTonePrint.
• TonePrintscaneasilybetransferredtoyourpedaleitherusingthefreeTonePrintappfor
smartphones or via a direct connection to a Windows PC or Mac using the supplied USB cable.
WhileuploadingaTonePrintyouMUSThavea9Vbatteryinthepedalorpowerconnectedto
thepedal’spowerinput.YouMUSTalsohaveajackcablepluggedintothepedal’sINPUT.
Please visit www.tcelectronic.com/toneprints for more information.

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Bypass modes and Kill-Dry on/off
Unscrew the backplate and look for the two small DIP switches in the upper left corner.
TheupperDIPswitch(theoneclosertotheDC9Vinconnector)switchesbetweenTrueBypassmode
(default) and Buffered Bypass mode.
True Bypass Buffered Bypass Kill-Dry – off Kill-Dry – on
True Bypass is a hard-wire bypass, ensuring there is absolutely no tone coloration when the pedal
isbypassed.UsingTrueBypassonallpedalsistheperfectchoiceforsetupswithafewpedalsand
relatively short cables going to and coming from the pedals.

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Buffered Bypass – If you use a long cable between your guitar and the first pedal, or if you use many
pedals on your board, or if you use a long cable from your board to the amp, then the best solution will
most likely be to activate the buffer both in the first and the last pedal in the signal chain.
CanyouhearthedifferencebetweenapedalinTrueBypassorBufferedBypassmode?Maybe,
maybe not – many factors apply: active/passive pick-ups, single coil/humbucker, cable quality, amp
impedanceandmore.Accordingly,wecannotgiveadefinitiveanswerhere.Useyourearsandfindthebest
solutionforyoursetup!
Kill-Dry on/off – With Buffered Bypass activated (upper DIP switch to the right), the lower DIP switch
canbeusedtosetKill-Dryonoroff.Kill-Dryremovesalldirectsignalfromthepedal’soutput.Thisis
the mode to use when the pedal is placed in a parallel effects loop.
Changing the battery – Unscrew the thumbscrew on the back of the pedal and detach the backplate.
Unmount the old battery and attach the new battery to the battery clip, making sure the polarity is
correct.Thenremountthebackplate.Toprolongbatterylife,removethecablefromtheinputjackwhen
you’re not using the pedal.
Batteries must never be heated, taken apart or thrown into fire or water. Only rechargeable
batteries can be recharged. Remove the battery when the pedal is not being used for a longer
period of time. Dispose batteries according to local laws and regulations.

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6signatureTonePrintfromJohnPetrucci.
AccesstoanyCoronaChorusTonePrint
72 mm x 122 mm x 50 mm – 300 g (excl. battery)
DualSupplyRailstechnologyensuresheadroomforlineleveleffectloopsfromasingle9V
battery. Battery failure circuit automatically puts the Dreamscape pedal into true bypass mode if
the battery runs out.
Custom“hammerhead”rugged,die-castaluminumcasingbuiltforalifeontheroad
Unique one-screw battery access for lightning fast battery changes
Stereo inputs with automatic mono/stereo sensing – feed it any signal.
Stereo outputs for that ultra-wide sounds.
MiniUSBconnectorforuploadingcustomTonePrintsandsoftwareupdates.
Speed,Depth,FXLevelandEffectTypeselectorwithhighqualitymetalshaftpotentiometers.
Heavy duty tactile footswitch with true bypass for zero tone coloration.
USBcableforuploadingTonePrints,TCElectronicGuitarPamphlet,TCElectronicSticker.
These specifications are subject to change without notice.
Sounds
Size & Weight
Battery
Design
Connectors &
Inputs/Outputs
Knobs etc.
In the box
Technical Specifications

TC Electronic, Sindalsvej 34, DK-8240 Risskov
[email protected]